Promise
by DustyStars
Summary: "Promise me we'll see each other again?" Sometimes you don't get what you want. Hiccup wanted more time, but a bittersweet goodbye is all he gets instead before being pulled away from all he wanted. HiJack! One-shot, may become multichaptered.
1. Chapter 1

**So I'm going to Sweden next week to study the Aurora! And the logical thing was obviously to write a HiJack fanfiction based around airports and things. Of course. This may be turned into a multichapter- it certainly has the capacity to become one, but I'm not sure yet. Also I may have cried when I wrote this… Yeah it's one of those… Please let me know what you think!**

 **Enjoy, sorry for and feels caused!**

 **Disclaimer- Don't own RotG or HTTYD**

 _DustyStars_

A knock on the door caused Hiccup to drop the book he was holding. A quick glance at the clock told him that his time was up, he had to go. Passing a hand over his eyes, he stood from his chair and headed over to the front door.

Today was the day he was finally returning to Sweden after four years.

Four years of high school had changed Hiccup. When he had first arrived in England aged fifteen he had been terrified. He remembered getting off the plane with his father, too scared to move out of his father's shadow and take in his surroundings. He had been small then, the runt of the village he came from- Berk. His father had given him the keys to an apartment they had bought the week before and within a few hours he had left again, leaving Hiccup to learn how to cope by himself.

To this day he never knew why he had been left alone.

At first things had been tough. He had been enrolled at the nearest high school and was expected to attend the same classes as those of his age but the English education system was different to the Swedish one, and Hiccup found it difficult to adjust. As well as the work environment, he found it hard to make friends as the others had already cemented their friendship groups and found it easier to pick on the foreign kid than make friends with him.

Hiccup had spent the first year of high school as an outsider looking in, always overlooked by everyone, quietly trying to live his life. That year had been the hardest. The confusion was always at the forefront of his mind. Why his father had sent him here, why he had been left alone, why he was expected to take on so much responsibility. Sometimes it all became too much and he would just lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling blankly.

Things had gotten easier though. By the time he was seventeen he had made friends with a few people in the same position as him. He had adopted a black cat and named it Toothless, and to Hiccup he was as good as human company, if not better.

And of course, Jack had come into his life.

If you asked the two how they had met they probably wouldn't be able to tell you. If you asked them how they had become friends, and then best friends, there would probably be no full answer. It happened so gradually that neither of them really noticed it, but now Hiccup had no doubt the white haired boy was to this day the best person he had ever met.

Ever since he had moved to the school with his bleached hair and sassy attitude people had liked him. There was just something about him that made everyone love him. Girls swooned whenever he walked past and guys wanted to be him. You would expect him to let the popularity to go to his head, but it didn't. Sure, he went to parties and hung out with people after school but he worked hard too. That might have been where they met, at a study session. Neither of them remembered though.

Throughout the next couple of years Jack stopped partying in favour of hanging out with Hiccup. Hiccup in return stopped shutting himself away so much, actually trying to be friendly with people and finding it was quite fun. One summer Hiccup had a growth spurt, so much so that he almost became as tall as Jack and he got a haircut, getting rid of his fringe in favour of a lighter, wavier style. He had also added a couple of braids behind his right ear, like the people of Berk did, or so he remembered.

After that summer nobody picked on him again.

Of course becoming best friends with someone like Jack, Hiccup was doomed to fall for him from the start. In fact by the time Hiccup was coming up to nineteen he was pretty certain that he was so far in that he'd never be able to get out again.

Yet he kept quiet about it.

He wasn't sure why. It was probably a mixture of things. First, the glaringly obvious one- Jack had never shown any indication that he liked guys. Of course he had never showed that he liked any of the girls either but that was little consolation. Secondly- despite Hiccup having grown and muscled up since they met, he was sure that Jack still saw him as the smaller seventeen year old that everyone liked to pick on. Despite Hiccup having girls come up to him and ask him out- a lot more frequently than he would have thought- he still didn't believe he was good enough for Jack. And of course, the third reason- Eventually, inevitably, he would have to move back to Sweden.

That was the unhappy prospect that waited him at the other side of the door.

He paused just before opening it to take a deep breath. He already knew it was Jack on the other side, ready to give him a lift to the airport, but he didn't know if he was ready to say goodbye yet. He had always managed to keep his feelings hidden from the other male, but right now all he wanted to do was confess everything before escaping to the safe haven that was the plane. At least that way he wouldn't have to see the look of disappointment on Jack's face.

There was another knock at the door and Hiccup realised he'd been staring at the wall without even realising. Taking in another breath he opened the door.

Jackson Overland stood there, white hair practically glowing in the weak English sun and a smile on his face.

"Hey, Hic," he said. "Are you and Toothless ready to go?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," Hiccup replied, moving aside to let him in. Jack moved past him and made his way down the hall towards the living room. Most of Hiccup's stuff had already been shipped out in boxes and would be waiting for him in Berk, so all that was left were two suitcases, a rucksack and a travel carrier that would soon be occupied by Toothless.

"Wow, it looks so bare," Jack remarked. "You can barely tell you lived here at all."

"That's the point," Hiccup said, letting out a half-hearted laugh. He moved to the window where Toothless was sat and picked him up. The black cat gave one more look out of the window before turning away, green eyes closing as if he didn't want to look anymore.

"I know, bud," Hiccup said quietly as he moved towards the travel carrier. "I don't want to go either but we have to."

Once he had made sure everything was packed and Toothless was secure Jack helped Hiccup move his cases into his car. After only a minor incident in which Hiccup dropped a case on Toothless' carrier (causing a lot of hissing and spitting from within), they were ready to go, Hiccup locking the door and posting the keys back through the letterbox.

He would miss the apartment, though he didn't want to admit it. He would actually miss a lot about this place. The school, his friends, even the language, it was surprising how attached one could get in just a few short years.

"Ready?"

Jack's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Hiccup nodded his head slightly, not trusting himself to speak. Jack switched the engine on and drove away, leaving Hiccup time to look back at the place he called home. England was more his home than Berk ever was, because he felt that here people cared about him. In Sweden… Well he was always considered too small or too weak to bother with.

He and Jack didn't talk much during the hour drive to the airport. Hiccup was trying to keep himself from having a mental breakdown and also determinedly not thinking about saying goodbye to Jack. For his part Jack seemed to be concentrating on the road, taking more caution than usual.

All too soon they were pulling into the car park and unloading Hiccup's bags. The brown haired boy felt as though he was in a daze as they entered the harshly lit auditorium and he felt a sudden jolt of nausea. Jack led him over to one of the desks where his bags were checked in and Toothless' carrier was cleared to go on the plane with him, and everything seemed to happen so fast that Hiccup could barely keep up. He didn't know what he was going to do without Jack by his side anymore.

They decided to sit down near security, which was where Jack would have to leave him. There was still an hour to his flight, which meant half an hour until he had to go through the security checks.

"Jack…"

He looked at the boy sat next to him. He couldn't see his face because of the hair spilling across it and his head was bowed, yet when Hiccup said his name he jolted upright, head turning to look at him.

Hiccup could have sworn Jack brushed a tear away.

"Hic?"

"Jack I…" This was it. This was the moment he should confess, grab Toothless and run. It was now or never, because if he went wrong he would never have to see him again. Hiccup's entire body tensed as he tried to find the words.

"I… I'm scared."

Wait what? That wasn't what he meant to come out of his mouth at all! He had accidentally said what his subconscious was thinking instead of what he had intended. He was about to try again when all of a sudden he felt arm going around him, holding him tightly.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Hic," a gently voice murmured in his ear. "Wherever you are I'll always be at the other end of the phone for you. Never forget that. I'll always be there for you."

Now the tears came. Both of them sat there, locked in the tight hug, tears streaming silently down their cheeks. It had finally dawned on them that after two years of seeing each other nearly every day, they now wouldn't get to do so for who knew how long.

"It's not fair," Hiccup whispered, no longer caring how childish he sounded. "I don't want to go back, I don't want to know why I was sent away, I don't want to leave you!"

The last phrase was said at a much higher volume than the others, causing Jack to pull away slightly, resting his hands on Hiccup's shoulders.

"I don't want you to leave either," he said, looking directly at Hiccup. "The time I've spent with you has been amazing and-" Jack's voice cracked a little, "-and I don't want it to end. You're my best friend, Hic. The one who knows me best, the one who's always been there for me, the one-" again there was a pause as Jack tried to regain control of his voice. "- the one I want to be with forever."

Hiccup's eyes widened. What was Jack saying? Did he mean-?

"Hiccup, I'm so sorry for not telling you this sooner but I love you."

His mind went blank. He stared at Jack's face in search of a joke but all he saw was seriousness. There was worry in there too, and no small amount of fear. Jack was terrified of being rejected.

Hiccup acted without thinking. He closed the distance between them and, in full view of anyone who cared to look, kissed Jack with as much force as he could muster. Hiccup's plane was announced as leaving in half an hour and the two still didn't break apart. They clung to each other desperately, both terrified of what would have to happen once they let go. Because once they let go… Once they let go they would be separated for an indefinite period of time.

When they finally broke apart Hiccup was sobbing.

He instantly hugged Jack again, pressing his face into the soft fabric of the hoodie he wore.

"Jack, I wish I had known sooner. We could have had so much time."

"I know," was all the reply.

The final boarding call was issued for the flight and Hiccup had to pull away. He could see the tears in Jack's eyes now, but the white haired boy was refusing to let them fall again.

"You have to go."

Jack's voice was emotionless, yet Hiccup knew him well enough that it was a coping mechanism, not a way of brushing him off. Jack was trying to stay strong for him.

Hiccup could only nod weakly, grabbing Toothless' carrier and pulling his rucksack onto his shoulder. He turned to see that Jack had stood too, white hair obscuring his face once more.

"Jack…" He reached out a hand.

"Promise me we'll see each other again."

Jack's voice was low and thick, and Hiccup could tell the amount of effort it was taking him to stay strong.

"I promise. Jack, I promise you, we will see each other again as soon as we can."

"And you'll let me know when you land safely?"

"Of course."

Jack nodded fractionally before looking at Hiccup.

"I'm so sorry."

"Don't be."

Hiccup moved forward and hugged him again, trying to memorize the smell of the hoodie and the feeling of Jack's body against his. Jack seemed to be doing to same.

He pulled away slightly so he could kiss Jack one last time, closing his eyes as he did so. This one was bittersweet, he could taste the salt of tears mixed with Jack's lips. All too soon they broke apart.

"I love you, Jack."

"I love you too, Hiccup."

Before Hiccup could change his mind, before he turned and ran out of the airport and back to the apartment, before he could shy away from everything that awaited him in Berk, he turned and almost ran to security. Once he was through successfully he turned back one last time. Jack was there, just within his line of sight, waving slightly.

Hiccup waved back as he felt another tear make its way down his cheek.

He didn't want to leave. Everything he wanted was right here.

He didn't know when he'd see Jack again, or even if he would. No, he knew he would, he had to. He had made a promise after all.

That promise would keep him going through whatever awaited him in Berk.


	2. Chapter 2

**Uuurgh, writer's block is the worst! As is all the uni work I've been doing, but mostly writer's block. I decided to make this a multi-chapter as all the reviewers wanted it and I didn't want to disappoint! It's quite a short chapter, so I do apologise, but I needed to get back into the swing of this story and recapture the feeling it had when I wrote the first chapter.**

 **So sorry for all the feels caused at the end of the last chapter, I hope you enjoy this one!**

 _DustyStars_

Hiccup stared down at his plate, refusing to acknowledge the presence of his father across the table. Stoick seemed to be doing the same- neither of them had spoken a word throughout the entire meal.

It had been this way for two months now.

Ever since he had stepped off the plane in Sweden Hiccup had been miserable. He missed England, and more than that he missed Jack. It turned out to be a lot more difficult than he had anticipated not being able to see him every day. Sure, they video called each other most nights but they couldn't text or phone each other through the day as overseas charges were too high. Hiccup had a brief window every day where he and Jack could talk, and the rest of the time his life was a dull monotonous affair.

Berk hadn't changed much since his departure. It was still pretty much the same as he could remember, except everyone was a little older. The other people around his age had changed the most. Astrid, a fierce blonde, had matured with age, becoming a strong young woman who ran self-defence and fencing classes at Berk's one and only gym. The twins, nicknamed Ruffnut and Tuffnut, had changed only in looks, their immature personalities still much the same as five years ago. Hiccup had yet to see the other two boys he had known, Fishlegs and Snotlout.

He still didn't know why he had been sent away to England with no explanation. His father barely spoke to him and the other people of Berk didn't seem to know, or didn't want to talk about it. Stoick had made Hiccup take a job at the repair garage, working with Gobber, his father's closest friend. Despite Hiccup enjoying engineering and machinery, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Still, he stuck at it, if only to please his father. He spent his days working before returning home and having an uncomfortable meal with his father, and then he would go up to his room and wait for Jack to come online so they could talk. Talking with Jack was the only thing that kept him going, not that he would ever admit that. Jack didn't know how truly miserable Hiccup was becoming, Sure, Hiccup complained about various things every now and then, but mostly he wanted to hear about life in England, so Jack did most of the talking.

The silence at the table was broken by his father pushing back his chair and picking up his plate. He gestured to Hiccup's unfinished plate, and he handed it over. He wasn't hungry anyway. As Stoick disappeared into the kitchen Hiccup made his escape, half-running up to his room and closing the door behind him. He headed straight over to his desk and turned his computer on, collapsing into his chair with a sigh.

Spending time with his father always stressed him out.

The computer slowly whirred to life, displaying the login screen. As Hiccup inputted his password he felt something soft brush against his leg and a moment later Toothless leapt onto his lap, purring.

"Hey, bud," Hiccup said softly, stroking the black fur of his cat.

Toothless looked up at him with his unusual green eyes before running his head against him and settling down into a more comfortable position.

Hiccup had needed to fight hard to keep the cat. It had been one of the only times he and his father had spoken, in the airport where they had first seen each other. His father had taken one look at the travel carrier and exploded, and the only way Hiccup had been allowed to keep him was because he had threatened to get the next plane back to England. After a look of inexplicable worry had passed over Stoick's face Toothless had been allowed to stay, though Hiccup made sure to keep him in his room.

The computer finally displayed the Skype screen, and Hiccup saw that Jack was already online. Without hesitation he pressed he call button, not even bothering to check how he looked. Like most days, he just needed to see Jack and everything would get better.

Jack took longer than usual to answer the call, and when he did the screen remained dark for a moment.

"One sec, Hic!" he said, sounding a little out of breath. The screen cleared showing Jack's messy room, the owner of which was currently half way towards the door. Hiccup sat up and leaned in to get a better look. Jack was talking to someone in the doorway who seemed unwilling to leave. He could pick out a distinctly feminine voice but couldn't identify who it was as Jack seemed to be blocking her from view.

Then the two disappeared around the corner, Jack practically pushing her away. Hiccup caught a glimpse of feathers and bright coloured hair, and suddenly worked out who was with Jack. More specifically, who had been in Jack's room.

Ana had been in the popular crowd at school, best friends with the Arandelle sisters and always admired wherever she went. She was also a notorious serial dater, leaving a trail of broken hearts behind her. So what was she doing with Jack?

The white haired boy was quick to return, shutting the door behind him and running over to his desk.

"Sorry about that, Hic. Ana needed some help with work and I didn't expect you to call so early," he said, sitting in his chair and running a hand through his hair.

Hiccup nodded slowly, trying not to let his jealousy or worry show. "What work?"

"Just some chemistry that she couldn't get her head around. It's for an assignment due tomorrow for her extra class."

Hiccup nodded again, hand automatically moving to stroke Toothless. It was true that Jack was pretty good at chemistry at school, though he was pretty sure Ana had excelled at it too. He hoped that she wasn't going for a… different kind of chemistry with his boyfriend. Yes, he was being unreasonable.

"How was your day?" he asked, shrugging off the slight awkward air that had descended over the pair of them.

"Pretty good," Jack said, smiling slightly. "At work these adorable kids came in and asked if I was Jack Frost."

Jack had recently started work at a store specifically tailored for children and owned by his father. It stocked everything from teddies to robots and was always busy. The store even had a food court where one could buy anything from cookies to pasta. What with a new children's film having just been released, 'Rise of the Guardians' featuring a boy with pure white hair, Hiccup wasn't surprised that kids were running up to him and calling him Jack Frost.

"I can only imagine that you told them you were," Hiccup smirked, and sure enough Jack nodded.

"I asked dad if I could dress up next week as the character from the film," he laughed. "And he thought it was a great idea."

Hiccup snorted. He had seen trailers for the film if not the movie itself. "Well at least you don't have to dye your hair."

Jack laughed again. "I guess not." There was a short pause. "So what's going on with you?"

"Not much," Hiccup responded, looking down at Toothless who had closed his eyes and was happily nuzzling into Hiccup's hand. "Toothless appears to be falling asleep on me and Gobber dropped a hammer on his good foot at work today."

"What an exciting life you lead," Jack joked.

"Yep, love it."

The two talked some more, exchanging stories and jokes until they heard Jack's father calling for him an hour or so later.

"Sorry, Hic. I've got to go," Jack said, pulling a sad face. "We'll talk tomorrow though?"

Hiccup nodded, trying to keep the disappointment off his face. "Sure thing, Jack Frost."

Jack sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes before waving and ending the call, leaving Hiccup once again to his harsh reality. He looked at the clock and saw that it was only ten already and Toothless was happily sleeping in his lap. Guess he had nothing to do but sit here until he woke up then.

Hiccup thought back to the beginning of the call, when Ana had been in Jack's room, and a sudden surge of worry came over him. Sure, Hiccup was usually very rational but his insecurities sometimes got the better of him. He had always thought that he wasn't good enough for Jack- that he was holding him back when he could be spending time with other people. Throughout their friendship Jack had talked him out of these thoughts and proved that they were unfounded but now…

Hiccup barely got to see Jack and sometimes he felt disconnected from him. Sure, it had taken one of them leaving the country to get them to admit their feelings for one another, but was that enough? Jack had said that he loved him at the airport but since then he hadn't said anything like it. It was almost as though they were back to being friends again, but occasionally one of them would say something couple-y or cute and Hiccup would remember that yes, they were boyfriends. They had established that as soon as Hiccup had got home.

He did feel as though Jack had been getting a little more distant with him though, especially in the last week or so. Could that be to do with Ana? What if he decided that he didn't want Hiccup after all, that now he had gone back to Sweden there was no point in staying with him? Hiccup was so sure that Jack wouldn't be one to cheat, but maybe if he hung around with other people enough… No, it wouldn't do him any good to sit here and make up the worst situations in his head- it would only make him more paranoid. Better that he do something useful like work on designing a new part for the car he and Gobber were trying to fix.

He still couldn't get the feeling of worry out of his head though. What if Jack was moving on from him? What if he broke his promise…


End file.
